He was Martin Alberto Garza. In the early-morning hours of Jan. 6, the 17-year-old was fatally stabbed outside a party in El Centro.

On Friday night, his casket, painted blue and gold, was placed at the 50-yard line. Family members and friends had gathered to celebrate his life at Warne Field.

Here, he’d created so many memories, so many openings.

When Jon Self became Brawley’s head football coach in 2011, he focused his immediate attention on the offensive line.

The Wildcats don’t throw the ball much. The “35-lead” is their staple, an off-tackle running play that leans heavily on the left side of the line.

“I had to look for a guy that had size,” Self said. “He wasn’t tall, but he was gordo.”

As a 5-foot-9 left guard, Martin “Gordo” Garza helped the Wildcats to a 10-2 record this past fall. They advanced as far as the San Diego Section semifinals, falling to eventual state bowl champion Madison.

“Had to look for a guy that would work,” Self continued, “and he did that.”

Last summer, Garza got a job working for Imperial Valley grower Jimmy Abatti. Each morning, he’d wake before sunrise to arrive at the fields by 6 a.m.

“Had to look for a guy that was unselfish,” Self went on. “Check on that.”

Garza told Abatti he wanted the job to help his parents with tuition. His sister and best friend, Yulinda, was beginning college. Garza himself was already planning for college. Last fall, he applied to San Diego State (Yulil’s alma mater), Fresno State and Humboldt State.

“Had to look for a guy with character,” Self said. “Check on that.”

Garza told Abatti about his reasons for working while his friends slept, but he never told his parents. Only after Garza’s passing did Yulil and her husband, also named Martin, discover their son’s motivation.

“He didn’t have to work,” Abatti said, “but he wanted to work to help his parents.”

They’d raised a son who delved into any sport. His first word was “ball.” His first love: baseball. Then there was youth wrestling and rec soccer and, just this year, varsity basketball.

His last love: football. Besides the colleges he’d applied to, he considered braving the cold of North Dakota to continue pursuing that love at Mayville State.

But for Garza, it went beyond sports. He shared his famous bear hugs with everyone — teammates, classmates, fellow field workers, strangers. His smile and personality won friends wherever he went — lunch, practice, work, all around the Imperial Valley.

That would explain why the memorial crowd was dotted with colors other than blue and gold. Why there were friends from El Centro and Calexico and Holtville and Calipatria and Palo Verde.